Whine & Cheese

Death in a Strange Country (#33)

As I type (which rarely corresponds when these posts), I am just a couple of days away from a return to Italy, with our arrival city being Venice... which by no coincidence at all, is the home to Donna Leon's lead character Commissario Guido Brunetti in Death in a Strange Country.  (Update: This is being posted almost 2.5 weeks -- which now seems like a lifetime ago -- after getting back from Italy... it was great!)

To continue sounding like a broken record (and my over-use of the "broken record" reference), it is difficult to write about books in a continuing series. Granted this is only Book #2 (of what now I believe is a 20-book series), but there just doesn't feel like there is a whole lot new to say.  I was not particularly blown away by Leon's writing or storytelling in the debut of the series, Death at La Fenice, and this book did not really sway me one way or another, but what does do quite well is to capture the spirit/essence of Venice and the attitude and/or charm (you choose!) of the Italian people.

Overall, I thought this installment was more involved, more intriguing and wider in scope than the first book, but it seemed to get unnecessarily complicated as it went along.  I can see folks either loving and hating the ending, though in this genre it always seems to get tied up quite quickly and conveniently as you flip (or click) through those final pages.  There are some intriguing developments with Brunetti's father-in-law, so I have no doubts that this will be explored more deeply in future books.

That said, these books are quick and easy reading and Brunetti is an interesting character, so I am fairly certain I will continue on with the series... to return to Venice, if only in my dreams

When She Woke (#32)

Whoops, it's been a long time since my last book... haven't quite been able to get back into a routine since returning from the Italy trip... work has needed a bit of extra effort and in my down-time I have been working on vacation pix.  But I totally forgot I had a book post (or two) saved up prior to the trip.  So here it is!

Despite how long my to-be-read list always is, I often get easily distracted by a new release and have it "jumps the line." 

The premise of Hillary Jordan's When She Woke ... a futuristic, dystopian twist on The Scarlet Letter just seemed too good to pass up (or figure out what priority to give it on my list).  While in the classic from Nathaniel Hawthorne, it was Hester Prynne being branded with the scarlet "A" on her clothes after conceiving a child out-of-wedlock with a priest... in the Jordan's future vision it's Hannah Payne likewise being punished after an adulterous affair with a preacher... but not so much for the adultery (which is still frowned upong) but more so, for the now illegal act of abortion.  This leads her to be "melachromed" -- having her skin genetically altered to turn red for the duration of her sentence.  Pretty nifty, huh?

While I breezed through the novel, I grew increasingly disappointed with the direction it took after starting off like gangbusters with whole revelation of the premise. I was expecting/wanting this to be more an examination of this darkly conservative version of a future America... which granted it is in subtext, but I felt it just devolved too much of a "damsel in distress" story crossed with a somewhat unconvincing story/journey of female empowerment. While Hannah is pretty well drawn (though, at times, a bit gushy and overwrought for my taste), the rest of the cast of characters just seemed too black/white, good/evil... even the ones who are supposed to be some shade of grey. And I will do my best to remain spoiler-free, but a "romantic" twist in the latter half of the book, was a bit too "jump the shark" for my taste.

Still a good and quick read, but was just left with a sense of unfulfilled potential with that premise that was so rich/ripe for exploration vs the story that was told.

We The Animals (#31)

After a string of some really good reads thru mid/late summer, I seemed to have run into a bit of a rut.  While the more recent books have been "good," they just haven't been dazzling me (with one exception, The Submission).  Honestly, I don't know if it is the books or just my frame of mind (not that I feel particularly out of sorts), but just seem to be a cranky reading rater of late.

I thought I might jump-start some quality reading again with Justin Torres' debut novel, We The Animals.  The buzz on it was really good and as a 140-ish page novella, I thought it would be something quick to get me back on track.

And after reading the opening chapter, I had the feeling that I was indeed in for something really special.  It has the groove and rhythm of a poetry slam, really fresh and like nothing I had read before.

The novel(la) is a coming-of-age story of three bi-racial brothers told through the eyes of one of them (and, from what I have read since, it is largely autobiographical) in vignettes from this very dysfunctional family.  It was powerful, moving, disturbing and even funny throughout... but ... and here we go again, it just fizzled out as it went along.   There is a bit of jolt at the end, where the story advances many years... and many of my fellow Goodreads reviewers found to be quite abrupt/out of left field, but for me it provided enough of a wake-up call to bump my final rating up a half-star, giving it 3.5 stars, though I rounded it back down to 3 for Goodreads.

Borrowing a page from reality singing shows, I'd say Torres didn't blow me away and is a bit rough, but he has obvious and raw talent, an interesting quality, and shows great potential. So if this were the auditions or "Hollywood Week/Bootcamp", I'd advance him to the next round... so definitely worth another look at his next work.

Rafa (#30)

This next book should come as absolutely no surprise as Rafael Nadal has been kind of W&C's mascot for the past several years.

There was little doubt that I would like Rafa, but having read a handful of tennis memoirs, I have yet to find a really good one and, to be honest, my expectations were low for this one, particularly since we're talking of one that is at mid-career and the ripe old age of 25. 

It started off rough, really rough.  While I was never under the illusion that Nadal “wrote” the book, it seemed to a long time for "co-author" John Carlin to capture Rafa’s “voice.”  It just didn't sound like Rafa, and that was disconcerting for a good chunk of the first half of the book.  Likewise, I got the impression that the book was written in Spanish and translated to English as there is some awkward language at times.  For example, a member of Nadal’s team is described as “placid” where “calm” would seem to be a word the average person or there was talk of Nadal’s preparation before the start of the “game” vs. “match.”  So just odd things stuck out here and there, particularly for the avid tennis fan (I believe the French Open was referred to as the first Grand Slam tournament of the year... sacre bleu!)

Likewise, if you follow tennis you will likely know many/most of the stories and the matches.  As I have said with pretty much every tennis memoir book post, there just isn't a good way to recount a match and this one hasn't figured it out either. 

So there is a not a lot new or unexpected here, though plenty of entertaining anecdotal stuff, mostly involving how timid/modest Nadal is in real life vs. his warrior-like on-court personae.  Though there are contradictions.  Given how private/shy/modest he (and his family is), a memoir seems a bit out of character... and likewise (though I am certainly not complaining!) is Rafa's current underwear/jeans modeling career.

Perhaps, the biggest shock may the addition of Uncle Toni (can you call him anything else?) entering the Nightmare Tennis Coach/Family member Hall of Fame. An alternate title for this book certainly could have been: Uncle Toni Is A Prick: But I Still Love Him (And It Obviously Worked).

In the end, it’s hard not to like and respect Rafa (even more).  In the world of sports, he is an anomaly - a good guy almost to a fault. It’s easy to love him. Ratings-wise this book was a bit tricky:  5 stars for Rafa, 3 stars for this pretty much standard, run-of-the mill sports memoir... overall, 3.5 stars, though gave it the round-down to 3 stars on GoodReads.

The Leftovers (#29)

One of the great things about the Kindle is that there is absolutely no hesitation when it comes to a newly released book.  In the past, I would buy a few hardcovers a year, but most of the time I would wait for the paperback version.  These days, it's kind of funny when I see the "New In Paperback" releases and think... it's just now coming out in paperback, I read it ages ago!

Tom Perrotta has become a favorite author over the years.  I first read Little Children, then back-tracked to his equally popular (and also made into a movie), Election... and I was pretty much hooked with his satiric look at life in the suburbs.   His last book, The Abstinence Teacher, was still good... but it just wasn't quite as good.  That's the problem with having a favorite author, you just can't help compare one book against another.

At that time, I stated that I thought there was no such thing as a "bad" Perrotta book... kinda like how it's difficult to find "bad" pizza... just some better than others.  The good news, here is I still stand by that statement and belief in Perrotta, but I now have this latest effort, The Leftovers, as my least favorite -- but still good -- Perrotta book.  That said, I am still a bit concerned about this seeming downward trajectory.  But perhaps with more realistic and slightly lowered expectations, he'll get me fully back on board with his next book.

The thing I found a bit disappointing was that I thought the subject matter, a post-rapture-like look at suburban life, was so right up his alley and so ripe/easy plucking for him.  I have always found his stuff to have a real bite, but this one just seemed flat or soft/mushy.  Likewise, I have always reveled in his insights into everyday life/folks and his sly way of making one understand the motivations behind actions, but here I just felt the extended cast of characters were lost in a the proverbial fog (understandably so!) and some characters (particularly Laurie) I just didn't "get."

While this review seems like a hard slam to the literary ground, it's really not... if anything it is a backhanded compliment to Perrotta as expect a lot out of him.  And while he still delivers, he just didn't deliver enough in this one, but still an enjoyable read, and a certainly a case of "like" ... though granted it's typically "love."

The Submission (#28)

It probably seems a bit strange (or maybe not) that as the 10th anniversary of 9-11 was approaching, I found myself looking for a 9-11 related novel.  I have read a handful of them over the years and all have been quite good, though most of them not concentrate on the actual day... which is fine with me as watching all that over again on the anniversary date was still quite raw and painful.

It was pretty easy to find the book to read as Amy Waldman's debut novel The Submission was getting all the buzz, even been trumpeted as the 9-11 novel. 

The premise of the book is fascinating: a blind/anonymous design contest to build New York City's WTC memorial... with the winner being a Muslim American, Mohammad "Mo" Khan. So, in part, the book seems inspired by Maya Lin and her design being anonymously selected as Washington DC's Vietnam War Memorial, though Waldman's "what if?" premise here would put that controversial decision (at the time) to shame.  I am guessing, despite its ultimate success/iconic status, that Lin's win put an end to any blind competition for a public memorial.

I found the novel to be reminiscent of what has been my favorite/best post-9/11 novel to-date, Colum McCann's Let the Great World Spin.. and that's really saying something as that novel was my 2010 Fiction Book of the Year and certainly among the best  books I've read since I started blogging about books (that goes back to 2006!). 

Both novels operate under a similar structure, a large and swirling cast of characters creating a multi-perspective patchwork quilt of a story. Tonally, they are quite different. McCann's novel (taking place in 1970s NYC) was lyrical and poignant tale of grief and loss that slyly evoked 9/11 whereas Waldman's work is a bold, provocative, and quite raw take of the lingering emotional aftermath of that day -- great companion pieces that I could easily see being paired up by literature classes or book clubs.

There is a lot of gray area in this novel. Readers are continually challenged to re-think what they think they really think.. got that?! Allegiances and empathy for various characters are in constant flux. For instance, and especially as someone likely tagged as a liberal elitist, I intellectually and emotionally would not have an issue with a Muslim rightfully winning such a design competition, but still found myself wavering on whether it would be "good" for the country, the individual/architect, and/or Muslims in general.

While the novel is Mo's architectural contest submission, the theme of submitting/being submissive to (and by) peer pressure, politics/political correctness, and the media is a theme that readers could debate for hours.  Also debate fueling, I'd be curious what a more politically right-leaning reader would have to this novel as I think it does play to left/liberal slant (Waldman is a former co-chief of the South Asia bureau of The New York Times).

Overall, I'd rate The Submission a 4.5 stars. I was close to rounding it up to 5 stars for Goodreads, but felt it lost some steam in parts and was a bit conflicted about the ending which felt a tad tacked on/trying to tie things up in a neat bow in what had been so murky/muck-ily thought-provoking throughout.

Apolo and Helio Naked (Kinda Sorta)

First off, apologies for the potential/probable NSFW-ness of this post.  But in some cases, nudity (without really showing anything) is artistic and I think this post qualifies... but just in case, if you are wary... don't scroll down much further!

The 3rd Annual ESPN "Body Issue" is out this week and, as always, it always causes a stir.  Soccer goalie, and current DWTS contestant, Hope Solo seems to be getting most of the press this year.  But, needless to say, not sharing any of the ladies' photos here!  And truthfully, I wasn't going to share... but then I noticed a lot of hits to W&C today (let's say the hits are not as they were in the blogging hey-days!), and saw that most of them were looking for some form of "Apolo Anton Ohno Naked"... which I am guessing is leading folks to this post (which wasn't all that much).

Anyhow, here are a couple more pictures of Apolo in the buff ....

And just for good measure, also including another DWTS champion... Helio Castroneves.  I remember at the time of his tenure on the dancing show that folk were clamoring for pix of him showing some skin, so here you go!  Kind of like this one too as it does capture all the "fun" that seems to be Helio.

 

The Family Fang (#27)

Well, I was keeping up with book posts pretty well. I was only one book behind with my last post and now -- on the doorstep of October -- have to go back to a book I read in August!  Oh well!

This next book was a pretty easy selection.  I had heard good things about Kevin Wilson's The Family Fang and a good part of the buzz was that it was pretty quirky -- which is usually right up my alley, and it did not disappoint in that respect as it had quirkiness in spades!

First off, no worries The Fangs are NOT vampires -- I'm guessing the title alone may keep throngs of folks away -- but a family of performance artists who pull off these crazy public stunts in the name of "art."  While the entire family of four participate, it is really just the parents, Caleb and Camille, who are driving the action with their children merely used as props, so much so they often refer to them as "Child A" and "Child B " with "real" corresponding names of Annie and Buster. 

While this all sounds terribly outrageous (and it is!), this is a novel of dark humor and satire. Much of the novel splits itself between the present -- where Annie and Buster are semi-successful, but struggling adults -- and the past, where readers re-live some of the Fangs' "greatest hits" which help explain much of the shaky foundation and general messed-up-ness (how's that for a word!) of the present. 

Much of the magic of this novel is in these vignettes from the past.  Wilson creates these delightfully uncomfortable, squirm-inducing, jaw-dropping acts of this brand of public performance art. Given that readers know the Fangs are very much alive and well (and not incarcerated) in the present day, we know that they "survive" each of these acts, but there is still this wonderful tension with each one.

The "buuuuut" problem lies in that the present-day storyline(s) as they pale in comparison. Perhaps this in intentional on Wilson's part as it is an exploration of this scorched-earth aftermath of cumulative years of family dysfunction.  The stories from the past had momentum and energy which built to a bang, but overall I found novel ending with the proverbial whimper.  Again, I suspect this may have been the point, but it was still a bit of a let-down/feel flat for me.

Nevertheless, still quite good, highly original and a non-hesitant recommendation for fellow fans of quirk.  I gave the book 3.5 stars, but rounded it down to 3 on Goodreads just for the inconsistency between the past/present story-lines and the ending (and because I just felt I had been rating books too highly of late!). 

While You're Waiting...

More Rafa in his undies!!

I've kind of lost my momentum/mojo on a lot of things of late... work, reading, posting book reviews... umm, life!  Haha... so until I get going again, here's some filler material... the latest shot from Rafael Nadal's Aramani jeans and underwear modeling gig!  Given how modest he seems, I am still shocked... but quite pleasantly so... with these photos.

Best Thing About "Weeds"

You have to go waaay back to July for my last "eye candy" post, so long overdue (again)... but was highly amused this morning by this entry Entertainment Weekly's "Summer Hotties Awards" feature.

Despite my love for Mary Louise Parker, I think Showtime's Weeds is at least 2 or 3 seasons past it's expiration date. I keep threatening to stop watching (even mid-season!), but we keep on watching.  Why?  Well, have to agree with EW on this one:

Hunter Parrish winning the "We're ONLY watching this show for you" award!